Visiting Lecturers in Northern Ireland
The following Visiting Lecturers are available to book for further education colleges and school careers events in Northern Ireland. Don't forget, the booking should be made by a lecturer/event organiser.
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Kevin Computer Engineer |
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I am currently working in the field of computer science. Much of my work however involves close collaboration with electronic engineers. I work with electronic engineers currently in research on improving the accuracy of indoor location positioning technologies. These are the systems which you can use to pinpoint where a person or an object is actually located within a building. I generally work on the software aspect while my colleagues in engineering work on the electronics and hardware aspect. Other projects I have recently worked on include: A child monitoring system whereby children were tagged with long-range and short-range RFID tags; developing a standard mains operated light switch that could be operated via Bluetooth or infra-red from a mobile phone; using steganography to hide personal or sensitive data in photo images on ID cards; working with a local hospital to remotely monitor patients at home who are obese in order to control their weight.
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Patricia Software Engineer |
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I’ve worked from Bangalore to New York, Stockholm to Madrid using my software engineering skills to delve into manufacturing, finance, medical, government and telecommunication. This suited me well, as I was never too sure what career path I would take. And engineering has given me a taste for them all. My talk discusses a recent feasibility study on the use of computing technology in the emergency services in Northern Ireland to save lives and improve the efficiency and safety on the front-line. It is an excellent example to show that the combination of the skills of fire fighters and paramedics with the skills of an engineer makes solutions. It’s the feel good factor that makes anyone continue to be passionate about their career even after 25 years. When the fire and rescue service started using one of the suggestions, real achievement was felt. The feel good factor continues when I walk down a shopping mall and see a big flat screen Philips TV, I get a little kick; my software is in that TV. When my son sends me a photo on his mobile from a school trip in Paris, I think, I helped make that happen. When I go into someone’s living room and see a DVD Recorder, I think, I have patents on that. This is why an engineering career has met my expectations in terms of travel, work-life balance and money.
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Neil Microwave Engineer |
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I develop the next generation of mobile communications, including very advanced antennas for the likes of mobile phones and WiFi. This is so advanced that you will not see it on the market for at least 5 years. Try watching full high definition video on your wireless connection at home and you will see how important my work is. The new wireless networks I am working on could be 100 times faster than what you have now. My findings are often “world first” and I get to visit top conferences in the USA to present these. What better thing is there than to be paid for what you enjoy doing? One of the most interesting projects I have worked on was as part of a team that designed and built a very advanced Wireless LAN circuit at 65 GHz (normally they work on 2.4 GHz). It took four of us 3 years to complete and it was a world first.
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Bernard Aerospace and Materials Engineer |
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Growing up I was lucky enough to have two older brothers who where motor sport and motor vehicle fanatics! I also followed various racecar series on TV and from this I knew I wanted to learn the basics of racecar preparation and engineering. I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to work within Motorsport Engineering, Automotive and Aerospace, environments. I currently work for a major aerospace company. One of the current research projects we are working on is investigating the application of Friction Stir Welding for the aerospace industry. It is interesting to see how a research development process can hopefully be implemented into a production environment and be industrialized for our products.
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Keith Design Engineer |
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As a Design Engineer, working for a large multinational company, I know how a career in engineering can offer so much more than the stereotype of oily overalls and ear-protectors suggests. With many social, economic and environmental challenges facing modern civilisation, there are many opportunities for engineers to solve problems that will shape the future, and improve our quality of life. I will provide an insight into some of the challenges, problems, high points and low points of my job and will discuss the opportunities available for apprentices, technicians and graduates to progress as Engineers. By building a career within a team environment where people work together to help each other succeed, Engineers can unlock their potential through training in new positions, gaining experience in different business units and improving commercial awareness, whilst developing a breadth of technical expertise.
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Claire Software Engineer |
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Dave Software Engineer |
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Training as a software engineer prepares you for a number of career opportunities, from ‘traditional’ software engineering, to “technical product support engineer” where you may find yourself travelling the globe working directly with customers, or as a “product architect” designing complex solutions to real world problems. In today’s world where big companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft embed technology deeper into our every day lives, there has never been a better time to be a Software Engineer. The possibilities of what software can do, and where it can go broaden every day, from set-top boxes to mobile phones, there is a real need for highly skilled engineers to develop solutions that will be used by millions of people across the globe. As a Software Engineer with three years experience working in communications and mobile development I will discuss some of the projects I have worked on such as “Content Filtering”, from the initial problem statement through to how it is deployed and used. I will examine how I got to be where I am today, and the opportunities that are open to ICT graduates and technicians within the UK.
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Gareth Information Security Adminstrator |
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My talk is about what makes me excited to come to work as an engineer. My background is in ancient languages – I have two Masters degrees in Egyptian, Greek and Latin from Cambridge. But, my career is in Information Security, and last year I completed a third Masters in Computer Science (by getting a computer to read English poetry): unorthodox backgrounds and thinking can be a distinct advantage in programming! I now work for a very large US insurance company, finding ways to automate the processing of security requests. These innovations have been very effective in cutting the company’s costs. In my talk I hope to show how an engineering career is uniquely creative, challenging and impacting, with examples from my own work and from one of the earliest recorded engineering projects – the Step Pyramid in Egypt.
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Andrew Software Engineer |
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I’ve spent 15 years working in the IT industry. When I started a Business Studies degree at the University of Ulster, a career in information technology was not in my plans. However, a high demand for IT graduates saw me complete an MSc in Computers and Information Systems and start work immediately with a global telecommunications company. Since then, I can emphatically say I’ve never looked back. I’ve been very fortunate to have such a varied and interesting career; from training engineers in Mexico and presenting at software seminars in Dublin, to architecting cutting-edge insurance applications and developing systems to support thousands of US-based employees. More recently I’ve been heavily involved in a number of strategic business initiatives. At the crux of each of these is the implicit belief that people can make the difference.
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Alan Electronics Engineer |
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Alan Webb is an electronics engineer who has worked in both Cardiology and Medical Physics at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast (RVH) and became head of the Clinical Instrumentation section of the then Regional Medical Physics Service, based at the RVH. After completing a PhD in medical imaging, relating to X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) scanning and involving the development of a 3D pseudo-holographic digital imaging system, he continued his career in biomedical engineering, moving to the University of Ulster in 1987, where he continued to undertake research and international publication work. He has been involved in the Engineering Education Scheme and is a director of the Engineering Training Council. He has been the all-Ireland Open University (OU) tutor for Logic Design for a 4 year period and is currently Associate Head of School of Engineering, within the Faculty of Computing and Engineering, based at the Jordanstown Campus of the University of Ulster. As a hobby, Alan enjoys the diagnosis of faults on modern automotive engines, including electronic ignition management systems.